Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I've been on here. I'm very concerned about my aunts horse. He naturally is a "sinker" as in he is sinks in on his body around his withers and in the flank area by the hip bones. But last week he got an abcsess in his hind hoof that was drained and I noticed he looked way more sunk in than usual. I'm not sure if the abscess caused this or not but he looks too sunken in and hes now sunken in on his haunches (along the back of the spine that leads down to the base of the tail bone). I'm not sure why this is happening to him because he is eating (as far as I know) and you can't see his ribs so he's not very thin...just keeps sinking in. Is there anything we can do for him as far as nutrition goes...maybe a special supplement? I saw that Clinton Anderson uses Power Dose (a wormer) that he claims puts weight on his horses and flushes their whole system out. What do you think about this too? Thank you for all your help.

- If today was your last day, and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday?

It sounds to me like he is being ridden with a saddle that just doesn't fit him correctly. I may be wrong though, but it does cause muscle atrophy and a "sunk in" look over time that gets worse and worse.

I wish that were the cause but before the atrophy would occur I'd see signs on his fur and skin like rub marks and white spots. I appreciate your help though!!!! Also, his saddle isn't as far back as the sunken in spots by the rump and hip. I forgot to add that while I was currying him the other day his fur was very dry and very staticky.

- If today was your last day, and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday?

Thank you for your information bubba. My aunt said his sinking in worried her a long time ago and she said she had the vet draw blood but nothing came up. I will advise her to have another blood sample drawn incase something will come up this time that didn't come up last time. If I can, I will try and get some pictures. Probably not tonight but maybe tomorrow or tuesday.

- If today was your last day, and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday?

I'm not an expert and i am not 100% sure what the reason would be, i'm sorry, but thought i would mention something that i experienced with my own horse who was quite sunken in his loin/flank sort of area. Maybe it could be a bit of some help?

Earlier this year in august i had a therapist come up to do treatment on my boy (For info of what exactly, here is the website: H.E.C. THERAPY - MAIN )

She did quite a lot of therapy on him (he really needed it) and she had mentioned to me that he was quite sunken in his loin/flank area and it actually had some linkage to his sheath. She had told me he was quite tight up on his back, along his spine, in the section where it is his loin and flank area. What she told me is that when a horse is gelded, sometimes scar tissue (it's that or another name, it's late here i'm sorry and i'm having a hard time thinking it's another name, but can't remember :P) that forms in the sheath from being gelded and can sometimes cause some tightness within their sheath. Horses have like, i guess you could call it, like, nerve strands? (i can't think of the correct name or description right now sorry, i'll do my best) that link from his spine and down towards his sheath (and branch to many other places too), and because of the tightness caused by the sheath, it causes tension that can show up in their lions/flank and spine. So even though they show up 'sunken', tense etc up in their back etc, it can actually be caused by something you would never think possible.

So, it is my duty to relieve that pressure by 'stretching' his sheath. As unpleasant it is, i have to actually reach up his sheath (till i can go no further) to 'stretch' his sheath to help relieve that tension. It's not something pleasant, and Rory wasn't too keen on me doing it, although he was very well behaved, he is now not sunken in where he once was. He has loosened up quite incredibly and that was only doing it after one time. It's something i have to do on a regular basis now as he gets tight in his hind end etc very easily.

So the morrel of my little story, is that maybe get a therapist out to see him, see if it could be related to his body maybe tight somewhere, or needing some adjustment for him to fill out in those places correctly?

Cause just from that little thing i can do myself on a regular basis, it has made a huge difference to Rory's improvement, in both his weight gain, muscle development and overall let him relax. :)

I hope you can find out the solution soon, i wish you all the best! :)

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